Invisible zipper pocket



July 1, 1958 Filed July 25, 1956 F. GARRIDO 2,340,825

INVISIBLE ZIPPER POCKET 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. FERNANDO GARRIDO ATTOFATZ July 1, 1958 F. GARRIDO INVISIBLE ZIPPER POCKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 'July 23, 1956 INVENTOR. FERNAN DO GARRIDO BY United States Patent INVISIBLE ZIPPER POCKET Fernando Garrido, New York, N. Y.

Application July 23, 1956, Serial No. 599,600

l'Claim. (Cl. 2-252) This invention relates to garment pockets and, more particularly, has reference to a pocket normally closed -by a slide fastener, the pocket'being so designed as to prevent the slide fastenerfrom being visible except at such times as the pocket is to 'be opened or closed.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a pocket so designed as to insure its being tightly closed at all times, except when access is desired thereto by the wearer of the garment. In many instances, articles are lost from pockets, or are stolen, due to the fact that the pocket is continuously open even when protected by a cover flap.

A furtherobject of importance is-to' provide a garment pocket so designed that the slide fastener can be incorporated therein with a minimum of cost, thus to particularly adapt the invention for incorporation in rnenfs and womens garments of various types, without increasing except to a very nominal extent the cost of manufacture of the garment;

Another object is to provide .a .slide-fastenereclosed garment pocket particularly designed to insure the locking of the slide fastener handle in the closed position of the fastener.

Still another object is to provide a garment pocket construction wherein the slide fastener, although fully concealed, is readily accessible to the user.

Still another object is to provide, in at least one form of the invention, a pocket of the type stated wherein excessive strain or wear of the pocket material is reduced during separation of the fastener, that is, the material of the pocket may be readily moved a substantial distance outwardly from the fastener to permit insertion of ones hand.

Yet another object is to provide, in the last mentioned form of the invention, means that will permit the outer portion of the pocket to be moved outwardly from the slide fastener, while at the same time causing said outer portion to move back into contact with the fastener so that it will lie flat against the fastener, at the same time locking the slide fastener handle.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a mans suit showing a flapped coat pocket equipped with a concealed slide fastener according to the present invention, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical, enlarged sectional view on line -2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a womans suit showing a pocket equipped with a slide fastener in a manner according to the present invention.

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views to Fig. l but illustratt a fl ice third form wherein the pocket is equipped at its side with a pleat adapted to permit spreading of the pocket to provide access to the fastener, said pleat having a concealed spring means for automatically locking the slide fastener handle in the closed position of the fastener.

Fig. 7 is a view like Fig. 6 with the pleats spread apart.

Fig. 8 is a view on the same scale as Fig. 6, taken substantially on line 88 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pocket of Fig. 6.

Referring to the form of the inventionshown in Figs. l and 2, designated generally at 10 is a garment such as a mans suit. Sewed to the garment is a depending pocket flap 12, which when lifted provides access to a pocket generally designated 14. The pocket includes a back wall 16 and a front wall 1%, the'front wall being connected at its upper end to a slide fastener generally designated 20. The slide fastener includes a top portion 22 and a bottom portion 24, these being provided with teeth in the usual manner, said teeth being lockabie by means of a slide 26 having a pivoted handle 28.

As will be noted, the slide fastener is fully concealed, even when the flap 12 is lifted. To provide access the fastener, one spreads the pocket slightly at the u oer end thereof, then grasps the handle and after nniocking the handle, shifts the same to the other side of the pocket for opening the fastener.

The arrangement, as 'Will be seen, permits an invi slide fastener to be incorporated in an otherwise con tional garment pocket construction, in a manner to h the.pocket normally closed. Thus, one attempting to steal articles from the pocket immediately finds access thereto denied by the closed slide fastener. Obviously, the effort would be immediately abandoned, since an attempt to unlock and open the slide fastener would be immediately perceived 'by the wearer of the garment.

Further, the arrangement reduces or completely inates the possibility of loss of the articles from the pocket.

In Fig. 3 the invention is shown applied to the no of a womans suit generally designated at 3rd. in l form of the invention, the cover flap 32 opens upwarr. and is stitched as at 34 to the material of the garment at its lower edge and at its opposite ends. The fastener has been generally designated at 36, and is concealed by the flap. The pocket associated with the fastener has been designated by the reference numeral 32, and basically is similar to the pocket 14 of the first form of the invention.

Referring now to Figs. 6-8, in this arrangement the garment, generally designated 40, has a concealed itet 42 the upper end of which is closed by a slide fastener 44 equipped with slide 46, said slide 46 having a pihandle 48 which when swung to its position of 6 l the slide against movement in a fastener-opening direction.

The garment 4th in this form has at opposite sides of the pocket normally closed pleats 50. Said pleats when spread (Fig. 7) move the garment material outwardly from the slide fastener so that ready access to the handle 48 is had. This prevents undue strain or wear of the material of the garment, such as might otherwise tend to occur should one attempt to force his or her hand into position to spread the slide 46.

In this form of the invention, there also provided a concealed spring means 52, arranged to normally swing: the handle 48 to its slide-locking position whenever the slide is in its fastener-closing position. Thus, assuming that one has opened the fastener, and has thereafter closed the same, the spring means 52 will assert its inherent tension in a direction to bias the handle 48 pivotally about In c . 3 4 7 its connection to the body of the slide, to a slide-locking position, said spring means at the same time closing or flattening the pleat to retain the neat, fiat appearance of the pocket.

The spring means includes a pair of parallel legs 54 having loops or eyes 56 at their outer ends. The legs extend in contact with the top and bottom portions of the fastener, and stitching 58 is employed to secure the legs' is stitched at 68 to the inner wall portion 70 of the'pleat that is adjacent the slide in the closed fastener position.

Thus, one can spread the pleat against the restraint of the spring means 52, to have ample room for swinging the slide handle outwardly to its unlocked position, thereafter to open or close the slide without placing excessive strain on the garment material. When the slide fastener is locked, and ones hand is removed, the tension in the spring coils causes the wing 64 to swing to position against the handle 48, locking the handle and at the same time flattening the pleat so that the pleat will have an attractive, neat appearance at all times when the wearer'is not in the process of actually inserting or removing articles.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that.

I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent In a garment, the combination, with a pocket-supporting panel, of a pocket construction comprising back and front pocket walls, and a slide fastener on at least one of said walls disposed to normally close the pocket, said fastener being mounted in a position concealing the same from the casual viewer, said pocket construction further including pleats at opposite sides of the'same and connected to said panel, one of the pleats including an inner wall, the fastener including a slide and a pivoted handle on the slide, said inner wall of said one pleat overlying the slide handle in the fastener-closing position of the slide, said pocket construction additionally including spring means on said one pleat tensioned to bias the inner wall toward the handle to retain the handle in a slide-locking position, said spring means comprising legs anchored to the fastener at opposite sides of the slide and a spring wing springably, pivotally connected to the legs, the spring wing being secured to said inner wall, and being tensioned to resiliently bear against the handle in the slide-locking position of the handle while simultaneously closing said one pleat, the spring wing being of a 'U- shape, the bight portion of the wing constituting the part thereof bearing against the handle, the side portions of the wing constituting the part thereof connected to the respective legs of the spring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,128,230 Cowles Feb. 9, 1915 2,078,461 Siegel Apr. 27, 1937 2,263,546 Goldsmith et a1. Nov. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 494,663 Canada July 21, 1953 

